Stay at home day

Thursdays are our stay at home days. If you ask Emma, she'll tell you it's our clean the house day. Or our stay in pjs day. All of which is correct. It's our only day we don't have anywhere we have to rush out the door to, so I've deemed it stay at home day.

Today, Emma spent most of the days casting spells on everyone and everything. I was a pumpkin, a car, a mom, and then a pumpkin again. Her spells all had to be rhyming too. Here's an example:
"Peas and corn,
corn and peas,
one two three,
come up here PLEASE!"
then a dramatic wave of the magic wand.

She had several different nonsensical rhymes, all followed by a dramatic wave of the wand. Sometimes she danced around as she said the rhyme, other times she watched herself in the mirror, and if you were the one receiving the spell, you'd get a gentle bing on the head after the dramatic wave.

Grant, well, he spent most of the morning like this.
Notice his little eyes poking through? He problem solved that after slamming into the post in the dining room. It was pretty funny. In a not mean to laugh sort of way, of course.

You can put the patent in your name

You know when you'd go to the dentist, and they'd give you those bright pink tabs, full of red dye and I'm sure other cancer causing chemicals? And you'd chew and chew and chew, and then smile to show your teeth. Then you'd be horrified because your teeth were coated with this bright pink stuff, indicating that you weren't the stellar brusher you thought you were because there was no arguing your teeth were covered with plaque.

Well I need a spray that I can spray around my house, and instead of indicating where the plaque is, it would indicate where the pink eye is. Then I could disinfect as needed and pink eye would be gone for good. Should you decided to invent this, I'd be so grateful that I'm willing to let you put the patent in your name. Just send me a thank you card.

Grant started pink eye drops again last night. So Operation Disinfect has kicked it up a notch. We're going through Clorox wipes like they're kleenex.

I know, I know

But I think this one looks better. I felt like the other one was hard to read. Anyone have an opinion on this cause I'm feeling a little Pisces (re: indecisive) about the whole thing.

A few newsworthy things

Grant tried peanut butter on Wednesday and didn't die. Or swell. Or even break out in a rash. He spent the whole time he was licking it off the spoon saying "Yuuummmm. Mmmmmmm. Mmmmmmm." as he licked every last morsel off the spoon. Then he handed me the well licked spoon, smiled, and said "YUMMO!" He has since had peanut butter on pita for lunch every day so far. The pita is simply a vehicle for getting the peanut butter to his mouth, he doesn't actually eat any of the pita.

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I found a new blog. I had a hard time with it at first, there is so much on the page for my eyes to digest, but after coming back to it a few times, my eyes are able to block out what isn't necessary for me to read daily. It's a fun blog, with an incredible story behind it. If you visit, be sure to check out the frequently asked questions to see the history on their fourth kid.

My Charming Kids

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Emma is starting to know the joy that is knock knock jokes. She was asking about them, so I did the good ole banana/ orange one. You know, the one where you say banana forever then finally say "Orange you glad I didn't say banana again?". So then she decides she wants to tell me a joke. Here it is:
E: Knock know
Me: Who's there?
E: Banana
M: Banana who?
E: Knock knock
M: Who's there?
E: Banana
M: Banana who?
E: Knock knock
M: Who's there?
E: Apple
M: Apple who?
E: Knock knock
M: Who's there?
E: Apple
M: Apple who?
E: Knock knock
M: Who's there?
E: Blueberry
M: Are you going to wrap up this joke or are you just going through every fruit you know?
E: I'm just going through fruit
M: Okay, so let's talk about why the orange answer made the joke I told funny. I said "Orange you glad I didn't say banana again" instead of saying "Aren't you glad...". See how they sound sort of the same? Only I'm being silly by saying Orange.
E: Can we play the Ladybug Game now?

In her defense, she did attempt the banana/ orange joke again when Hubs got home, and for the most part nailed it. Hubs did the obligatory laugh to make her think it was hilarious.

Just got an oil change

And they informed me I need new tires. Like yesterday.

It's been an expensive week.

Had to do it

It was time for a change, no? And since I refuse to color my hair, I colored my blog instead.

Grant can undress himself completely

as he demonstrated to me today during nap time by throwing his clothes over the rail of his crib and then proudly calling me in. I don't think I gave him the accolades he was anticipating.

Now that I'm done being Bitter Betty

In spite of her mass quantities of snot and lung shaking cough and disgusting eyes, Emma has had a few cute moments over the last few days. Here's two in particular.

This morning, while waiting for the cable guy to finish up so she could watch Sesame Street, Emma decided that Grant needed to learn to read. So they sit down on the couch with Moo Baa LaLaLa and Emma proceeds to teach Grant to read by saying "A cow says....start with M mamama moooo. A sheep says Bababa.....baaaaa." The reading lesson is over when Grant then gets up off the couch to run into Emma's room and see the garbage truck.

And then, just a bit ago, Emma walks out of her room to tell me "My ear is hurting. I think I either have an ear infection or my ear drum just isn't working right now."

I'm done with this week

I know I promised a heater install update yesterday, but it didn't happen. So here it is, now.

Tuesday was install day, and at 3pm the workers come out of the attic after 7 hours of sounding like they were trying to jump through the ceiling. No one napped, Emma is sick and whiny and snotting everywhere, and everyone is cold. It's 59 degrees in the house and I've made it through simply by dreaming of luxurious heat and a whisper quiet heater as promised to me by the Carrier sell brochure. I'm instead informed that they aren't even half way through because they had to build a platform for the new heater that involved hanging it from our roof joists. He continues on by saying he's surprised that the old heater hadn't fallen through the roof it was so insecure. And then, the infamous repair man line comes next. You know what it is already - I've never seen anything like that before. He also shared that whoever ran the cable into Emma's room (we don't have cable, we have satellite TV so I'm guessing it was the handy dandy general contractor) had yanked too hard on the cable when threading it down from her closet and had cinched off the vent that leads to the kid's rooms. That's right, no heat or ac to the kid's rooms for the last 6 years. Long and short of it was, no heat today. It was a chilly afternoon and night, and by Wednesday morning the space heaters weren't even touching the chill.

When the workers arrive Wed. am they assure me I'll have heat by noon. Emma is getting sicker, Grant is going stir crazy from 3 days cooped up in the house, and I'm about to lose my mind from the cold, the noise, and the whiny whiny snotting 4 year old. Again, no one naps because of the noise/ commotion. That's right, noon comes and goes with no heat. At 3:30 pm it becomes evident that Emma needs to see a doctor, and they tell me if I can get over there in 30 minutes (it's a 20 minute drive) then they'll see me before they leave.

Except the heater guy still needs me to sign paperwork, understand the new thermostat, and oh yea, I have to get 2 kids into regular clothes, one of whom is now so sick she can't even manage to get herself dressed. The guys get the heat going, then flip the breaker so they can label the circuit in the fuse box. When they flip it back on, no heat. They stand around, puzzled as I'm running out the door yelling over my shoulder to the heater guy "I don't care whose kid you have to sell, just get my heat on!" He's laughing, but I'm serious.

Dr. appointment shows that Emma has pink eye and RSV. The doctor, who isn't our regular, but remembers Grant's almost weekly visits last year due to his breathing issues, tells me that if Grant gets RSV he'll land in the hospital. I'm too freaked out by the grossness of the pink eye to wrap my brain around the severity of the situation until that evening, and whisk everyone out the door to the pharmacy. We arrive home, 2 1/2 hours later to a sweltering home. Ahhhh blessed heat. Heater guy had left it at 72 degrees, just for me.

I wrestle Emma to the couch to put the drops in, throw something together for dinner, get the kids tucked into bed, and collapse on the couch, ready to enjoy Top Chef. Hubs is gone for the evening, hanging out with the boys. No TV. Just snow. Fantastic.

Thursday morning I realize I no longer need to bundle Grant up for the night when I open the door to his room and get slammed by a wall of hot air. Air actually flowing through the ducts makes quite a difference. I call Dish Network to schedule a repair appointment because I'm fairly certain we have no TV because of the heater guys. I'm told only Hubs can make an appointment because he is the account holder and I'm not authorized to make such changes. I say I don't want to make any changes, I just want to schedule service. Again I'm told only Hubs can do that, for the security of the account. I question how that is keeping my account secure. She simply apologizes for my frustration. I tell her Hubs has a job where he can't be reached, what does she suggest I do (he was in court). She again apologizes for my frustration and tells me he is the only one who can authorize such things. I ask for a manager, who goes on to tell me it's for the safety of my account and that only Hubs can authorize it. When I tell her that my family doesn't operate like a third world country and that my husband is not the sole decision maker in the family, and oh yea, I've already mentioned he can't be reached, she transfers me to a "Conflict Resolution Specialist" who schedules my appointment for Friday am and gives me a number for Hubs to call to give me authorization to make such decisions.

It's another long day with Snotty and Over Energized, with Hubs not coming home again until after the kids are in bed. Thank goodness for my sweet mother who braved my pink eyed home to give me 25 minutes respite so I could go for a sanity saving run.

Bright and early this morning Cable guy showed up, did some stomping around the attic, and discovered that the cable that connects the dish to the TV was gone. Vanished. So he replaced it and we have TV. Just in time for Sesame Street. Then the arrival of my in laws reminded me I had a hair appointment today too. Grant woke up with red eyes so I started him on the pink eye medicine, and Emma just walked out of her room to inform me her left ear is really hurting. Good news is Hubs should be home by dinner time. And I'm taking off when we're done eating. I don't know where I'm going or what I'm doing, but I'm not staying home.

Sweet Innocence

Emma and I walked out of the grocery store today, after a very loooong day and a very long wait to get her prescription, and she looks up into the very dark sky, spots the North Star, and shouts "Look Mama, it's TINKERBELL! Hi Tinkerbell!"

More on the events of today, tomorrow. I'm exhausted and hungry.

5K race

Have you been following my Couch to 5K accountability chart on the right? I'm training to run a 5K, with plans to then move on to a 10K race. I've always wanted to be a runner, but my exercise induced asthma has always led to an exploding chest after about 2 weeks. But this training plan is perfect for me. The increments of running to walking are perfect, and I haven't had the exploding chest once. I feel great after each run, and I can easily fit 3-4 workouts into my week.

So the next step is to find a 5K to run. And I think I have! I'm going to do the ZooZoom race in April. April 19 in fact. It raises money for the Zoo, and it's a run through a beautiful local park. The race starts at 8am, so come out and cheer me on! I could use all the support I can get. Hubs will be there with the kids to meet me at the finish line. And to take a picture of me with my race tag on pre race to document my first running race ever!

If you want to know more about the Couch to 5K training program, check it out HERE. Join me for the ZooZoom if you want!

Pajamas

While Grant is obsessed with tomatoes, Emma has become obsessed with pajamas. And wearing them. All the time.

She wants to stay in them all day long if we aren't going anywhere in the morning. She wants to nap in them and then stay in them all afternoon. She wants to change in them the instant dinner is over in preparation for bedtime.

Obsessed.

Tomatoes

Grant is obsessed with them.

He went from taking one bite, making the bitter beer face, and then spitting it out, to not being able to get enough of them. Every time I'm in the kitchen cooking, he's dancing around my feet, pointing to the tomatoes and saying "Peeeeesssss" (that would be "please"). And he'll just eat them and eat them and eat them.

He loves the grape tomatoes. He holds it in his chubby hand, takes a little bite so it doesn't squirt all over him (he learned that the messy way), sucks the juice and seeds out, and then pops the rest in his mouth.

He averages at least 10 a day.

Fingers and Toes crossed

I'm leaving in a bit to turn in Emma's Open Enrollment forms. We're notified in early April if we got our first choice.

It's broken

The heater, that is. It's 20 years old, I guess I can't complain too loud.

So there goes the tax return and the living room renovations Hubs had planned. I wasn't on board yet, but now it doesn't matter now. We're replacing the air conditioner too to maximize our high efficiency rebates and minimize our duct check fees.

The fun starts Tuesday. I hope our heater lasts that long.

We're running out of things to fix

So in August, we had a ginormous root pulled out of our toilet. Not cheap.

Then in October, the pool pump broke and took out all the wiring with it, to the point where it will be cheaper for us to remove the pool this spring. Stay tuned for Demolition Day 2009.

Early December brought us a super clogged kitchen sink that took hours for the plumber to snake out, fix, then re-attach all the piping.

And now, January, the HVAC guy is on his way because every time the heater kicks on it sounds like a freight train is heading for the living room. And the pictures on the wall vibrate, along with the kitchen counter. Not good. And I'm sure not cheap.

Good times around here. I can't imagine what is going to be next.

Today's questions from Emma

"Why is Jesus in my heart?"

"Why do adults have these?" (as she grabs my boob in the middle of Sam's Club)

"When Ariel (the Little Mermaid) has her fin on, where is her bum?"

Deep Thoughts

Today, on our walk/ bike ride, I realized that Emma on her bike is a metaphor for my relationship with her right now.

She wants to pedal ahead of me in life, feel the wind in her helmeted hair, enjoy the thrill of the speed and the independence. But she still needs my security, and needs to be assured that I'm right there, so she checks over her shoulder and meets my eyes every minute or so. When the road gets rough, she slows down, calls my name, wants me to be right there to help her in case she falls. But then life and the road smooths out again, and she's off pedaling with gusto.

Me on the other hand, I don't want her to pedal ahead of me. I want her right next to me, and I find myself picking up my pace to try and keep up with her. I want to be able to catch her, to reassure her, I don't want her to fall and get hurt on the bumps of life. I want to keep her safe. My heart yells "STOP! Slow down!" but my mind knows she is growing up and the space between us is only going to get bigger as she gets more independent and confident on her bike. So I paste a smile on my face, meet her eye when she turns her head to meet mine, and try to just enjoy the moment of the sunny day and an enjoyable walk.

Kindergarten just might do my heart in next year.

When you can't beat em, join em

Our park playdate with a friend was rained out today, which led to crankies on Emma's part. With the kids feeling a little cooped up from the rain, Hubs and I decided to give into the rain instead of letting it beat us.

So we bundled the kids up in warm coats and hats, wedged their feet into their new rainboots, handed them their umbrellas and sent them out to splash around. They had a blast. They jumped in puddles, ran around under their umbrellas, and when it wasn't raining, Emma played baseball with Hubs while Grant spent some serious time dragging around big sticks and moving wet leaves from one pile to another.

When hands and noses started to turn red we trooped back inside for hot chocolate for the kidlets and chai tea for the parents. It was an awesome way to spend a wet afternoon.

Happy New Year!

We've hung our new calendars, cleaned up the last of the Christmas decorations, and picked up the house. We're ready to welcome in 2009!